Most deep sea robotic manipulators are constructed from hard materials that are not geared to collect fragile coral. Researchers at the Wyss Institute, Harvard Paulson School, and City University of New York have developed a soft robotic gripper that can safely handle delicate specimens, including biological specimens on deep reefs.

The multi-institutional team devised a modular design that allows for easy in-field replacement and repairs. Here, the team’s well-stocked supply of extra gripper components is pictured during a May 2015 field expedition to the Red Sea.
Credit: Kevin Galloway, Wyss Institute at Harvard University

One gripper, inspired by the coiling action of a boa constrictor, can access tight spaces and clutch small and irregular shaped objects. The other, a bellows-style model, features opposing pairs of bending actuators.

Current-generation remotely operative vehicles (ROVs) rely exclusively on visual feedback – a live video feed from an onboard camera. The researchers aim to add haptic feedback to the robotic technology, allowing an operator to actually “feel” what the gripper is touching.

The team's expedition to the Gulf of Eilat in the northern Red Sea, a unique marine ecosystem that houses one of the world’s largest and most diverse coral reefs, marked the first use of soft robotics for the non-destructive sampling of fauna from the ocean floor.

Source 

Topics:
Automation Robotics

More From SAE Media Group